Pumpkin and Cashew Nut Soup

I didn't think anything could beat my sunshine soup. Until I tried this. Posting for posterity because I would hate to forget about it.

Take one pumpkin or other squash, hack into wedges, drizzle with oil and roast.

Meanwhile gently fry an onion, add a pear (unpeeled), and some vegetable or chicken stock. Cook gently.

Take the roasted (and ideally slightly cooled) pumpkin, pull off the seedy strands gooey bits and the peel, dump the rest in the saucepan with the onion and pear.

Start blending, then realise you are craving protein and this is somewhat lacking. Add a shedload of cashew nuts to the blend and blitz until smooth (thank you, vitamix!).

Return to pan on a very low heat and season to taste - salt, black pepper, nutmeg and chilli powder gave this a gentle warming kick.

Eat a bowlful, pour some into bottles for your daughter's lunch, freeze the rest in bowl sized packages and then try to resist glugging the bottled version (adding some powdered rice to the bottles may help in this process).

The cashew nuts take the rich orange of the pumpkin and transform it to the palest yellow - think more wishywashy sun just barely making it through the clouds and mist, rather than the intense golden light of the earlier version.

But then take a taste, and this is liquid wood burning stove; warming, comforting, intensely satisfying, and dangerously addictive.

Mmmmm yum.
Tia